Design the IT Infrastructure & Operations Organization of the Future

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Technology鈥檚 lightning-speed advancements require new skills and new ways of working. Against that shifting backdrop, IT infrastructure & operations teams must balance meeting everyday demands with planning for the future. But I&O鈥檚 plate is already overloaded with day-to-day tickets, last-minute projects, and fires that urgently need putting out. Use our practical research framework to build an I&O operating model that addresses the needs of both today and tomorrow.

Your enterprise鈥檚 ability to adapt to technological change can be sabotaged by widening skills gaps, static staffing levels, and misalignment between I&O and strategic goals. Assess your organization鈥檚 strategy, structure, and critical skills gaps to embrace a holistic I&O approach that鈥檚 responsive to daily realities yet also future-ready.

1. I&O鈥檚 culture can stifle much-needed change.

I&O is built on stability, standardization, reliability, availability, and cost control 鈥� qualities essential for keeping the lights on, but not for driving innovation, experimentation, and learning. Some I&O leaders may have to consciously shift their team鈥檚 culture to be more open to change.

2. The skills gap is just the tip of the iceberg.

Addressing the skills gaps in your organization is only one piece of the I&O puzzle; upskilling and training are not enough anymore. Analyze your organization鈥檚 structure and staffing, as well, to make sure work flows smoothly, accountability is well defined, and capacity is sufficient to maximize the value of the change you鈥檙e enabling.

3. Short-term skills patching isn鈥檛 a plan for the future.

Some projects demand skills your organization lacks right now. But rushing to contract, hire, and train your way out of a skills shortfall is ultimately shortsighted. Problem solved for now 鈥� but what about tomorrow? A more strategic, forward-looking approach puts I&O on steadier footing than just patching the most immediate skills gaps facing your organization today.

Use this step-by-step guide to build an I&O organization that鈥檚 aligned, agile, and adaptable

Our research offers a comprehensive storyboard combined with three other tools: a design sketchbook, a skills analysis template, and a staffing calculator. Use our detailed, actionable methodology to craft a multiyear I&O strategy that鈥檚 made for this current moment yet flexible enough for the future.

Review your strategy and technology plans to identify key drivers and stakeholders for change, pinpoint roadblocks and risks, and decide how to handle them.
Evaluate your structure by documenting inputs, outputs, work, and interactions to assess the current and future state of your organization. Then, identify action items to address any gaps.
Assess skills and staffing gaps by conducting a data-driven analysis and create a multiyear roadmap out of action items you鈥檝e identified.

Design the IT Infrastructure & Operations Organization of the Future 91制片厂 & Tools

1. Design the IT Infrastructure & Operations Organization of the Future Storyboard 鈥� An extensive guide that walks you through the critical steps to building a more resilient, proactive I&O organization.

This foundational reference guide navigates you from the pain point of ongoing skills gaps toward an actionable plan that鈥檚 fit for the future. Use this storyboard to:

Document, evaluate, and redesign your operating model to help you achieve your strategy and goals.
Take stock of your current skill sets and staffing levels to identify gaps as you move forward to implement change.
Start with the end in mind to build a forward-looking organizational structure that prepares your I&O team and organization to adapt to change.

2. Infrastructure & Operations Design Sketchbook 鈥� A PowerPoint tool full of relevant examples and templates to help you design your I&O organization.

These powerful templates help you think through the structure of your infrastructure & operations organization. Use this sketchbook to:

Gain a high-level overview of your organization鈥檚 current state in terms of functional areas and accountabilities.
Discover where your organization has its most significant gaps (i.e. skills, experience, tools).
Determine what must change for I&O to lead your organization into the future.

3. Infrastructure & Operations Skills Inventory and Gap Analysis 鈥� An Excel template to assess how well your organization鈥檚 technical skills and staffing can support your technology strategy and goals.

This tool provides an invaluable snapshot of exactly where your IT skills and staffing gaps are so you can address them in a tactical way. Use this gap analysis to:

List the technical skills you need to run your environment today.
Assess the skill sets and number of staff needed to support your organization鈥檚 technology roadmap into the future.
Consider actions to fill identified gaps, such as training, hiring, or restructuring existing roles.

4. Infrastructure & Operations Staffing Calculator 鈥� An Excel-based tool that compares the demand on your I&O team鈥檚 time to the team鈥檚 supply of available time.

Paint a data-driven picture of how your I&O team spends its time so you can optimize the skills and headcount you already have and gain an understanding of what needs to be changed. Use this calculator to:

Pinpoint how much time your various IT teams spend on everything from training time and conferences to outages and certificate updates.
Discern the amount of time I&O teams devote to reactive work (e.g. outages, backups, phishing) versus proactive work (e.g. user onboarding, software deployment).
Evaluate how initiatives like automation, hiring, and outsourcing affect the supply and demand of time for those teams.

Review your strategy, structure, skills, and staffing.

About Info-Tech

91制片厂 is the world鈥檚 fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

You get:

Design the IT Infrastructure & Operations Organization of the Future Storyboard
Infrastructure & Operations Design Sketchbook
Infrastructure & Operations Skills Inventory and Gap Analysis
Infrastructure & Operations Staffing Calculator

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